Nothing is impossible. In 1995 I wrote a novel about Marie-Antoinette and called it Trianon. I had been fascinated by Marie-Antoinette since the age of nine. By the time I was a grad student I had visited Versailles twice, but it was not until I saw a picture of Petit Trianon in Smithsonian Magazine that I felt inspired to write something about the Queen. It was just a photo of a staircase, but in my mind’s eye I could see Marie-Antoinette walking down it. I wanted to capture a moment in time, one of those happy moments that were like islands in a sea of tragedy in the life of Marie-Antoinette. I was already deep into research about the French Revolution as part of my graduate studies. I wrote the Prologue and then put the whole thing aside for ten years.
After a trip to Vienna in late 1994, I found the manuscript and the notebooks with my research in my father’s basement. I felt inspired by my trip to Vienna to take it up again, for I had visited the tomb of Marie-Antoinette’s mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, in the Capuchin crypt.
It was a turbulent time in my life, as I was undergoing a major career change. I had no computer, no internet, and little money. Nevertheless, I was imbued with the desire to tell the story of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette as it had never before been told, shedding a new light upon the gravely misunderstood King and Queen. I wrote ten hours a day, stopping only to eat, sleep and pray. Before I even completed the final manuscript, I began sending out query letters and sample chapters to every publisher I could think of. Rejection after rejection came. I knew in my heart that somehow Trianon would be published although at the time it seemed futile.
In the meantime, I got married and set up housekeeping in Pittsburgh, PA. One weekend in late August 1997 my husband and I were visiting friends in Maryland. It was the weekend that Princess Diana died and we were all reeling from the shock. My friend Virginia and I were sitting in her kitchen after brunch, drinking coffee. We talked about Princess Diana, and how similar she was to Marie-Antoinette, and yet how different. We lamented that my novel was not in print. Suddenly, Virginia, who designed and published catalogs for a living, exclaimed: “Mary, let me publish your novel.” The impossible had become possible.
And so it began. Neither of us had any idea what we were doing, although Virginia was quite adept at lay-out and graphic design. She not only published the book, but designed brochures and press releases to send out to bookstores, colleges, seminaries, newspapers and magazines. We mailed them far and near, offering free review copies of the book as soon as it was printed. 
Trianon was published on November 1, 1997, just in time for Marie-Antoinette’s birthday. The first printing was comprised of 700 volumes. A week later we held a book-signing at Virginia’s house, inviting all of our friends and family. The books sold well. I began to be invited to other book-signings at colleges, women’s clubs, bookstores and church groups. Meanwhile, the orders for the books began to trickle in, from individuals and booksellers alike. There were a few reviews, but mostly the news spread through word of mouth. 
Within a year we had sold out our inventory. The Neumann Press offered to publish the second edition. They asked for a sequel as well, so I wrote Madame Royale. In 2000, Madame Royale was published, as well as the second edition of Trianon, by The Neumann Press. Both books quickly found an international following which continues to this day.
Now with the internet and a blog, the sky is the limit as far as book promotion goes. As of this year (2011) both books are on Amazon Kindle and in new paperback editions. They continue to sell steadily along with my 2009 novel, The Night’s Dark Shade. I have found that determination and the refusal to give up count for much of what it takes to publish and successfully promote a book. The rest is the grinding effort of hard work. Most indispensable of all, after the grace of God, is the help of a good friend, a friend who believes in one’s ability, which for many can be the boost they need to succeed.

Elena Maria Vidal is the author of the historical novels Trianon, Madame Royale, and The Night’s Dark Shade. Please visit Elena at her Tea at Trianon blog and on Facebook and Twitter. 
 

Elena Maria Vidal grew up in Frederick, Maryland and is the author of the historical novels TRIANON, MADAME ROYALE and THE NIGHT'S DARK SHADE: A NOVEL OF THE CATHARS. Elena has been a contributor to Canticle Magazine, Touchstone Magazine, The American Conservative and The National Observer. In April 2009 she was a speaker at the Eucharistic Convention in Auckland, New Zealand. She is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and the Eastern Shore Writers Association. She currently lives in Maryland with her family and is working on a historical novel about her Irish ancestors. Elena blogs at http://teaattrianon.blogspot.com/.

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By Self-Publishing4 Comments on Publishing My First Historical Novel

4 Replies to “Publishing My First Historical Novel”

  4. Elena–Kudos to you. I love the last paragraph in your blog where you mention the "grinding effort of hard work and the MOST indispensable (thing)of all, the grace of God. That absolutely hits the nail on the head. My first full length novel "The Priest & the Peaches",launches in January and I truly can relate to what you wrote. Thanks

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